Replacement
by Jambammer
Summary: In the wake of a death of a servant, a replacement is in order. But sometimes, if that servant was more then just a servant to many, it is never just that simple.
1. I Will Never Forgive Him

A/N: I've never written Merlin fanfiction before, so bear wih me as I try to write and learn the characters! :D Just the same, hope you enjoy!

* * *

_The drum beats echoed through the silent crowd. All that could be heard was the lone voice of a young woman screaming._

_"I'm innocent!" She pleaded through her tears as she was dragged up to her doom. "Please!"_

_Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Could she be telling the truth? Could this all be a mistake?_

_It didn't matter. The hard king watched over, ensuring that it would be done. _

_"This woman is guilty of sorcery. Her death will serve as a reminder to all of Camelot that magic is not tolerated here." His voice boomed, silencing the crowd. _

_The dark haired girl was forced down to her knees, her neck exposed for the waiting axe. Her shoulders shook with desperate sobs._

_The crowd began to murmur again. Where is the prince? He was noticeably absent from the execution. Wasn't it his duty to be here?_

_The axe went up._

_The axe came down._

_The woman's cries ceased._

Morgana jolted awake, her dark hair glued to her face from her sweat. Panting and shaking, she closed her eyes to forget what she had just seen in her dreams. For once, she hadn't seen the future.

Her treacherous mind was reliving the past.

Collapsing back against her pillow, the lady cried long and hard for her poor friend.

"I'll never forgive him," she vowed as her sobs calmed for the moment, her hot tears continuing to flow down her face. "For you, Gwen, I'll never forgive him."


	2. Life Must Go On

Uther stared out the palace window, overlooking the courtyeard, yet his eyes did not take in any of the sights.

"He will not speak to me," Uther stated, and it was hard to tell his emotion from his voice. Even the wise physician who had known the king for many years who stood behind him couldn't tell. "He has been in his room for days, since the execution. I fear he does not eat, nor will he see anyone. Morgana is the same."

Gaius considered his words carefully. "Sire, the execution has troubled them both deeply."

"But why?" Uther couldn't understand. "Morgana... perhaps I can see her pain as the girl was her maidservant, but Arthur?" The king shook his head.

"Perhaps the girl meant much to him," Gaius suggested, knowing full well that she did.

It was hard for him to talk to the king like this. Gwen had been inoccent, the true sorceror was unknown. But, the headstrong king would not see reason and handed down sentence. Gaius had watched and supported the Prince as Arthur pleaded to extended her trial, as the boy pleaded for her life. It had been heartbreaking to the old physician. Worse still, Merlin. Merlin had searched right up until Gwen's death to find who was truly responsible. If Gaius was right, he hadn't slept at all during that time, and he certainly wouldn't be alseep now if Gaius hadn't drugged his water.

All of them were devastated, but Gaius wore a mask of indifference to protect them the best he could.

"The girl was just a servant," Uther reasoned.

"I wonder." Gaius dared to remark. The king sighed.

"This shall serve as a lesson to him then," Uther declared, though he suddenly sounded unsure of himself. "We can't always trust those around us. They are not always who they appear to be."

Gaius bit his tongue. "Yes, sire." After bowing, he prepared to go.

"Gaius," the King called, and the faithful physician turned around. "Have that boy," he meant Merlin, obviously, "try to talk some sense into Arthur. I know they are close."

"Yes, sire." That is, if he could bring Merlin back first.

Gaius bowed and promptly left.

* * *

Groaning, Merlin's eyes fluttered open as he began stir.

"Gaius?" He asked as his eyes readjusted to the light. The figure by his bedside became clearer as he nodded.

"How did you sleep?" his mentor asked, and Merlin grabbed his head as he tried to sit up.

"I have such a headache," he mumbled, the events that had passed momentarily forgotten. As they came back, he jolted up and drew a sharp breath. "Was it all a bad dream?" He asked, panicky. "Please, tell me it didn't happen." Gaius only looked back with sad eyes. Merlin shook his head, tears flooding his eyes for the countless time in days. "No, no. Please say it didn't happen. Oh Gaius, please."

"I'm sorry," Gaius replied softly as Merlin made a grief striken squeak. "Oh Merlin," the elder whispered, taking the boy into a hug.

"It wasn't her, it wasn't her, it wasn't her," Merlin moaned into the physician's shoulder, hugging him for dear life. "She was innocent! Why..."

"I know she was innocent, Merlin," Gaius agreed, "but life must go on. I'm afraid the time for tears is over." He pulled back and looked into the boy's mournful blue eyes. "She wouldn't want you to carry on like this. Gwen would want you to continue as normal."

"How can things be normal again?" Merlin choked out, and his friend couldn't answer. Instead, Gaius stood.

"Come now, get dressed and report to the castle. Arthur needs you."

Merlin could only nod, though he had no desire to see anyone, even Arthur.

"As a servant, and as a friend," Gaius continued.

Merlin swallowed one last sob. "I-I know."

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Merlin forced himself to walk down the hall.

The last time he had come this way, it had been the night before _that_ day. He, Arthur and Morgana had been planning one last attempt to save Gwen's life, one final chance at an escape for her.

It had failed.

Due to the many times the trio had worked together to break out prisoners in the past, the guards had been placed under strict orders from Uther not to let any of them to the prisoner. None of them had been aware of this until it was too late. The prince had snapped, attacked the guards, and spent the night in chains.

Unbeknownst to the prince, Merlin had stayed with him that night after he was locked up, out of sight of the guards.

Merlin had heard him cry.

Merlin had heard how he screamed.

Now, it would be Merlin trying to save him again. The dark haired boy didn't want to. Not yet.

Being so wrapped up in his thoughts, Merlin nearly ran into the girl leaving Morgana's room.

"I'm sorry, my Lady," she was saying as she shut the door. "Oh!" She exclaimed as the two nearly collided.

"Sorry," Merlin mumbled, and continued on.

Any other day he would have introduced himself. Any other day he might have smiled and laughed about their near miss.

Any other day, but not today.

Today, things were still too fresh.

Approaching the all too familiar wooden door, the sorceror took one last deep breath before rapping against the surface. He had to keep it together, however hard it may be. Arthur needed him to keep it together.

"Arthur?" He called through the door.

At first, there was nothing. "Go away." The quiet yet familiar stubborn voice replied.

"Arthur, it's me," he tried again. "It's Merlin."

There was a silence. Pressing his ear to the door, he could Arthur shifting on his bed. If he guessed right, his friend was debating about letting him in.

"Go away."

The tone was softer, but the answer was the same. Merlin sighed. "Arthur, come on."

"No."

"We need to move on." He didn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.

"No."

"Gwen wouldn't want this. Gwen would want you to be strong, to be the Prince of Camelot."

There was another silence. "What good is a prince if he can't save the servants in his own home?"

"Arthur..."

"Merlin, GO!"

Withdrawing from the door, Merlin just nodded and walked away. He'd try later, when he was able to again. Walking back down the hall, he passed the green eyed girl with whom he'd nearly collided with before hand. He didn't see her at all; his mind could only see the former servant girl to Morgana, the one with the sweet disposition, the one he'd always known to be so strong. The girl watched him with sad eyes before making her own way to elsewhere in the castle.

Duties were duties. Life had to go on.

* * *

A/N: Wow, such quick response! Thanks to all who have reviewed so far! This is a first for me- two chapters in one day- but the comptuer I was using died. Luckily, I had it all online. I'm on a different computer for the time being but I won't be for long, so I could have either made you wait, or given it to you now.

Hey, I read stories too. I hate waiting.

You're welcome.

XD Reviews would be loved greatly!


	3. One Long Day At A Time

Morgana cast a bitter glare out her bedroom window.

"I told you not to return."

The girl behind her holding out the silver tray trembled, but forced herself to speak. "I know, my lady, but I am under orders not to leave until I have witnessed you eat."

The young woman did not turn around. "I order you to leave."

"I know, my lady, and if I could, I would, but my orders have been given to me by someone of higher power," the dark haired servant managed to say, her fingers gripping the metal tightly as she willed her hands not to shake. She didn't need to upset her mistress anymore by spilling her food. The Lady hated her enough already, simply for being there.

"Who?" Morgana still did not turn, but raised an eyebrow. Truthfully she knew, but she wanted to hear the girl confirm it.

"The King, my lady."

Yes, of course, the one who had hired this wretched girl. Was this how he was trying to make peace? He murdered her dearest friend, allowed her friend's father to die, allowed her own father to die and now he was trying to fix things? A new servant, forcing her to eat... Morgana had half a mind to tell the girl to tell the king what to do with the meal.

But wait... maybe peace was not such a bad idea after all. Or the idea of peace. Let the king believe he was forgiven... let it be his downfall.

The Lady smirked at her reflection.

Yes, peace. Peace between the King and his ward.

Morgana turned and gave the girl a smile, which the scared handmaiden returned with a relieved one as the Lady sat down at the table. Allowing the girl to pour her wine, Morgana picked up the goblet with delicate fingers. "To the King."

* * *

"Arthur, you must eat. It has been nearly a week," Merlin told his friend worriedly, setting down the tray of food at the prince's table. Curled up on his bed, the young Prince didn't look up. Merlin knew that he himself would have been the same way if Gaius had let him. No, the elder had given him the first days to mourn, but now he was keeping the boy busy.

Life had to go on, he said, even if Merlin didn't want it to.

And he didn't. Not yet anyways. Gaius knew this, yet he constantly sent Merlin out on errands, forcing him to interact with people.

"Arthur, I'm under orders from your father..."

"My father can go..." Arthur stopped mid sentence and sighed, and decided against finishing. "I'm not hungry, Merlin."

"It's been nearly a week," Merlin reminded him again, not that either of them needed reminding. "You must eat."

Arthur rolled over, away from his servant. "I've gone longer," he answered stubbornly.

Merlin rolled his eyes. Right, the hunting trip gone horribly wrong, which he himself had been dragged along on. "That was merely four days, though it did feel longer." There was no wildlife, no edible plants, and to top it off, they had gotten lost. It was an experience the sorceror never wanted to repeat. After they had gotten home, Arthur on the other hand had immediately begun planning the next one.

However, if it would have meant things could go back to the way they were, Merlin would have gladly endured those four days of hell all over again.

"It was more then four days," Arthur corrected, but Merlin shook his head.

"No, it was four days."

Arthur rolled over and raised an eyebrow, his eyes locking with his friend's.

"I counted," Merlin added quickly.

The blonde prince was quiet. "You're not going to leave, are you?" He finally asked, and the dark haired boy shook his head.

"I can't. Your father's orders. I can't leave until you've eaten."

Once more, Arthur turned away. "Well then you're going to be here a very long time."

He'd have been lying if he said that he was expecting anything different. Pulling a chair out from the table, Merlin took a seat.

* * *

"Merlin," Arthur kicked at his friend's shoe. "Merlin, wake up."

"Huh?" Merlin asked drowsily, waking with a snap. To his surprise, the prince was sitting up on the edge of his bed.

"Pour me some of that wine you brought," he ordered, but it was with a more reluctant tone, as though he'd finally given in to a battle with himself.

The servant managed a tiny smile. It still hurt too much to really smile. "Right away," he said as he got to his feet.

After filling the goblet, he handed it back to Arthur. Staring down at the crimson liquid, Arthur held it in his hands, turning it between his fingers every so often.

"Was there anything we could have done?" He asked, furrowing his brow and looking at his reflection.

Merlin had battled with this himself too, but had reached one conclusion. "No."

Arthur nodded and took a drink. He had reached the same decision himself.

"I wish we could have," Merlin added, sitting back down. The death of a friend was hard to deal with, and he hoped the empty feeling would go away. But, from past experiences, he knew it wouldn't. It would just get easier to bear as time went on.

"So do I," Arthur agreed distantly, "more then anything." Taking a deep breath, he changed the subject. "What did you bring?"

"The king had your favourite made," Merlin told him eagerly, getting up to serve it.

Arthur smiled sadly. "Good."

"Finally decided you're hungry?" Merlin asked, setting out the food.

"No," the prince replied. "I just couldn't stand your snoring any longer. I'm eating so you'll go away."

Things would get easier, and they would go back to normal, one day at a time.

* * *

Uther looked out the window, overlooking the courtyard. To his surprise, his son was out of his room and sparring in the moonlight.

Granted, Arthur was alone, but he was suited in his armour, swinging his sword and practicing with all he had. Touching the glass, Uther watched him with pride. That was his boy, his replacement one day.

He hadn't meant to hurt him.

He hadn't wanted to hurt the girl.

However, magic was magic and the law was the law. He couldn't change it just for a friend of Arthur's, a servant girl in the castle. What example would that have set for his people? What kind of leadership would that have shown?

* * *

Merlin carried the tray down the hall, feeling better then he had been. It was good to have Arthur back, both of them well on the road to recovery together. As he walked, Merlin even found that he was smiling to himself. By no means was he on top of the world, but he felt a little lighter then he had before talking to Arthur.

He even managed to smile at a servant girl leaving the kitchen as he entered.

The dark haired, green eyed girl had smiled back.

Things would get better, one day at a time.

One long day at a time.

* * *

A/N: Holy response! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! :D And thanks to everyone that will :D


	4. Life, Death and Duty

"You look... nice," Arthur stammered as Morgana walked into his room. Her hair was back, and her long black silk dress was fresh, probably never worn before that night. For someone in mourning, Arthur was certain he'd never seen her prettier.

"You approve?" She asked, twirling in a circle before him.

"Well... yes..." the Prince replied, unsure of what to think, completely mesmerized. "Wait a minute," he sat up straighter and crossed his arms, coming back to reality. "Morgana, in all the years I've known you, you've never given a damn about what I thought. Why now?"

She turned to his mirror and adjusted her jewel encrusted hairpiece. "I'm having dinner with your father tonight."

Arthur raised both eyebrows and looked at the dark haired girl in disbelief. "No."

She nodded.

"Good luck with that," the blonde muttered, putting his feet up on the table. "I can't even stand to speak to him yet."

Placing a few strands of her fine hair back behind her ear, Morgana turned to him and smiled. "I decided peace was better then war. There has been enough arguing. There is no need to continue."

Arthur scoffed and shook his head. "I applaud you."

Her smiled faded. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just, that if it were me, which I suppose in a way it is, I would let this war continue on."

"You boys and your wars." Morgana shook her head in disgust.

The prince smirked. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is a bad thing," Morgana shot back, gathering the skirt of her dress in her hands so she could walk, "not that you'd understand. You've never suffered from a war." Turning on her heel, she walked out, not looking back.

"Morgana!" Arthur called after her, but the strong willed woman didn't even acknowledge that she'd heard him. "Women," he muttered.

* * *

"I am glad you have come to forgive me," the king told his ward with a smile. He had promised her father years ago that he would care for her. Whenever Morgana was mad, he felt like he was breaking that promise. Through time, he had come to see her like a daughter. Only, he had raised a son on his own. Dealing with Morgana was different, at times he wasn't sure how to deal with her.

Morgana smiled back, masking her bitterness and anger with a sugary expression. "I could not bear to fight with you. I have come to realize that you were only upholding the law. She had been convicted, punishment must follow." Wrongly convicted, and the king must have known that the girl was innocent. How could Gwen have hurt anyone? How could the king have thought that she could hurt anyone? She'd only been Morgana's handmaiden and friend for years!

Uther felt relieved as he reached for his goblet. "I am glad you have seen sense my dear."

Morgana only smiled as she raised her wine too. Sense. She had seen sense, but not what he so blindly thought.

"How is your new handmaiden serving you?" He inquired after swallowing, setting the goblet back down. The girl he had picked had seemed polite and mild, something he was told that the former servant had been like. The elder king had hoped it would help ease the girl's pain if she had someone like her friend.

"She..." Morgana hated the girl, barely having any contact with her at all. She didn't want to know her. She didn't want her to replace what had been her friend's job. Doing so just gave the king the impression that anyone was replaceable. "She does her job well, and follows orders." This much was true. When Morgana ordered her to leave, she would, unless she had been told by the king to do otherwise.

Uther seemed pleased. "Good, good."

Morgana held her smile, but gripped the chalice handle tightly until her knuckles burned.

* * *

Merlin did his best to watch where he was going, but it was hard to see over the large pile of Arthur's laundry in his arms. When he had hoped for things to go back to normal, this wasn't quite what he had been hoping for. He wanted to laugh and joke and poke fun at one another with Arthur again, not be loaded with chores. Well, he thought as he caught a falling sock with his foot, it could be worse. At least he wasn't mucking out the stables.

Yet.

Lifting up his leg and trying to keep the pile balanced on his knee, Merlin leaned over to try to pick up the escaping sock. He grabbed it, but the moment he did, the rest of the pile saw it's moment to run for it.

The dark haired boy stared in disbelief at the pile on the floor for a moment before taking a deep breath and kneeling down to pick it up. He had even managed to get everything nicely folded this time.

"Here, let me help you." Merlin looked up from the things he had begun to fold to see one of the servant girls picking up with him.

"Thank you," He smiled, "I had some trouble with escaping socks."

She laughed, moving away the hair from in front of her crooked nose to behind her ears. The green eyed girl may have had her hair back with a bandanna, but it seemed not all of her hair had agreed to be so easily trapped. "More than that from the look of it." She held up a shirt and frowned. "This was folded all wrong from the looks of it. Maybe it's a good thing they got away."

Merlin looked down to the pile he was re-stacking, avoiding eye contact. Okay, well he had thought it was nicely folded. It had been nicely folded for his skill level.

"You're the prince's servant?" she asked, looking at the shirt she was folding together.

"I, uh... yes," Merlin replied with a nod. "I'm Merlin."

"Nice to meet you," She grinned at him, placing the shirt onto the pile. "I hope he's easier to work for then the Lady Morgana," she said with a sigh, reaching for the next article to refold.

Merlin looked up, paling. "You're Morgana's new handmaiden?"

"Yes," the girl replied, confused as to his sudden mood change. The dark haired boy had gotten to his feet and was hastily gathering up everything. "My name's..."

"I must go," he told her before nearly running down the hall, leaving her sitting alone in the hall with the shirt she had been working on.

* * *

Merlin rushed through Arthur's door, breathing heavily and startling the prince.

"Merlin!" Arthur yelped with disapproval as his servant dumped the entire pile down onto his bed. "What are you doing?" The servant didn't seem to hear. Instead, Merlin had his hands on his head and was pacing frantically around the room. Arthur stood up. "Merlin, what is going on?"

"Morgana has a new handmaiden," He whimpered, his hands shaking. Trying to hide it, he crossed his arms. "She can't have a new handmaiden. She just... she can't."

"It probably was not her doing," Arthur muttered, running his hands through the back of his hair as he sat back down. "My father probably thought it would..." he sighed, "help her."

"How would it help her? Our friend is dead!" Merlin was beside himself. This couldn't have happened.

"I'm not happy about it either," Arthur agreed, looking down at the table. "But I can see why he did it."

"What? He thinks we're replaceable? Kill one and you can just hire another?"

Arthur nodded. "That's just how he thinks. You know that."

"That's disgusting," Merlin stormed out.

Arthur agreed, but what could he do? Merlin didn't understand. He had grown up in a small village where everyone looked out for one another. People didn't know status, except for the people that ruled the land, but they seemed far off and distant.

This was just life in the castle. Arthur had grown up with this. True, this time had hit him much harder then anything before, but he wasn't surprised that there was a new girl already. If a servant quit, or died, they were replaced. This was how it had been, this was how it would always be.

This was life and death and duty, and nothing could stop it.

* * *

A/N: Reviews would be greatly loved ;D I like knowing if I'm getting the characters right, but I also love hearing opinions/theories on the story! :D I try to make my stories come as alive for you guys as they are for me. Let's put it this way: when I create a new story, it creates almost like a new universe in my mind :D I have much, much planned for this story (or following stories) that takes them well into their future.


	5. Emotions

* * *

Arthur would probably be mad that he had just walked out of the room before dismissed, but Merlin hoped that the prince would understand. He needed to be alone to process his thoughts. Before long, he found himself sprinting through the halls, desperate to return to the one place he could be alone to think, the one place that made things seem better.

He had always known that Uther considered the servants expendable, but this time, the point had really been driven home. It wasn't right. They were people too, but because he was royalty, he had power over their lives and their death. Should he ever be wrong, like he was this time, an innocent life would be taken with the swing of an axe and the blood spilt would forever stain the King's hands. Gwen's blood was on his hands.

Now, someone else had been hired to take her place, to do Gwen's job.

If only he had searched harder. If only he had pushed himself to go further, to find the true guilty party. Gwen would still be there, smiling brightly as she went about her duties. The new girl would be gone, having no need to be working for Morgana. He didn't want to know this girl. She was in Gwen's place, and to even talk to her or look at her felt like he was betraying Gwen's sweet memory.

Pushing open the door to the physician's home, the dark haired boy was glad to see Gaius wasn't there. He wouldn't have to explain why he was there rather then doing whatever Arthur was ordering him to do. Walking past all the exquipment, Merlin couldn't help but wishing there was a cure for death. Gaius seemed to know the right herbs and mixes to cure nearly anything, why couldn't there be something to bring back those who had passed?

He knew there could never be, but he could wish.

Closing the door to his room, Merlin's blue eyes settled on the old book sitting on his bed. It was the book of magic that Gaius had given him long ago. It had helped so many times in the past, but now it seemed so useless.

Magic. Once, Merlin had thought it could solve anything, much like Gaius' medicine. Now, he knew better. He had cast spell after spell, hoping it would show him the location of the true culprit, the real murderer. He had cast the spell until his throat was raw, but it hadn't worked.

If it would bring Gwen back, Merlin knew he'd give up all of his magic in a heartbeat. What good was a gift that couldn't save his friends?

Sitting down on his bed and pressing his back to the wall, Merlin pulled his knees close and cried.

* * *

"Enter," Arthur called in response to the knock on his door.

"Arthur, can you help me?" Morgana asked, pushing open the great wooden door gingerly and walking in. The blonde prince turned away from his window.

"With what?" He asked curiously, and she bit her lip and averted her eyes. Whatever it was, she didn't really want to be here for his help. "Morgana..."

"My hairpiece is stuck. I can't get it out," Morgana admitted finally, refusing to make eye contact.

Arthur couldn't help the grin-smirk hybrid that was spreading across his mouth. "Don't you have a handmaiden to help you?"

The glare she shot him was venomous, but it had no effect as it only seemed to amuse him more. "I would rather have your help before I asked her for help," she replied icily. Seeing that Arthur was close to laughing, she turned and huffed. "I'll go find Merlin then."

That changed things. "Morgana, wait! I wouldn't do that, actually," Arthur softened and pulled out a chair. "Sit down, I'll see what I can do."

Reluctantly, Morgana turned back and sat down, folding her hands in her lap. Looking down at her dark curls, Arthur tried to asess the situation. Beasts and warriors? No problem, he could handle them. Curses? He had beaten them. A woman's hair piece?

This was new.

"Are you sure you can manage?" Morgana asked, noticing Arthur's hesitation. "I understand if this is perhaps too difficult for you."

He scoffed. "It is not too difficult," he replied, glad she wasn't able to see what he was doing, how perplexed he was by this. "If a girl can do it, so can I," he declared, finally attempting to remove the offending jewelry. He could do this, he had to be able to do this. Imagine, the Prince of Camelot, outwitted by a piece of jewelry? That was not going to happen. Morgana would never let him live it down if it did.

The Lady sat very still, as she was accustomed to whenever she had help with her hair. This time was different, and as she realized this, she tensed. Whenever she had help in the past, it had always been a handmaiden, mostly Gwen, but always a woman. This time it was a man, but not just any man.

It was _Arthur._

_Arthur _was helping her._ Arthur_ was the one raking his fingers through her hair.

It was a strange thought, and the young woman didn't know why.

"Arthur, if you can't get it, I'll find someone else," she told him with an overconfident tone, anxious to escape the sudden weirdness that had fallen. She was about to stand when she felt his hand on her shoulder as he leaned over the other.

"I got it," he grinned proudly, dangling the piece out for her. Their faces were close. Something felt different. He felt it too, Morgana could tell from the way his smirk faded. How could he not? It had descended on the pair like a heavy, awkward blanket.

She grabbed her hair piece and stood.

"Thank you," Morgana told him curtly before walking out, not looking back.

He only nodded, though she didn't see.

* * *

Another day, more long hours of looking after his magesty, prat the prince. Merlin sighed, carrying the dishes down the hall. Arthur was just lucky they had become friends, otherwise he'd have found a way to turn him into a toad. Or a plant. Plants were quiet. Plants didn't call you an idiot, whether they meant it or not. Plants could even be useful.

Turning the corner, Merlin froze.

_She _was walking down the hall, coming towards him. He saw her eyes widen when she saw him.

He turned and went back the way he came. There was another route to the kitchen, he could take that instead.

He didn't see the girl's dejected face, and the slowing of her steps. All he knew was that he couldn't bear to see her at all.

* * *

Morgana knelt down on the soft earth, still fresh from the burial. Four weeks, and yet the pain felt as though it had happened only the day before. Holding the bouquet she had brought against her chest tightly, the dark haired girl managed a smile.

"Hello, Gwen," she reached out a hand to touch the wooden marker. "I... I brought you some flowers," she told her friend, laying them down gently in front of her. "You always did like them." Morgana recalled fondly the times her dear friend had brought her lovely bunches of flowers to decorate her room. "I miss you so much," the lady tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat. "Rest well, and know that the one responsible for this shall pay dearly."

The young woman allowed her tears to fall, taking comfort in knowing that her time to strike would be soon.

* * *

A/N: Gonna be honest, I don't like this chapter as much as others :/ I had a hard time writing. Though, that could be due to the massive amount of plot bunnies for the sequel plaguing me. -beats them off- Hopefully you still enjoyed this chapter, my dear readers :D


	6. Acceptance and a Smile

"I don't understand you," Morgana stated, sitting on the edge of her bed and looking off into the distance.

Her handmaiden continued on with wiping the table, not looking up. "What is there to understand, my lady?" She asked, sweeping a strand of dark hair behind her ear as she moved to the other side.

Morgana couldn't help the small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "I've ordered you to leave numerous times, yet you keep coming back."

Her handmaiden shrugged and looked up. "It's not my job to be liked by you. It's my job to do my job, and to do it well. If that means leaving when you order me to, then I will, but I will always be back the next day, waiting for new orders."

The Lady pondered this. "What if I were to order you to leave now, and never return?"

Her handmaiden smiled. "I'd be back first thing in the morning." Dipping her cloth into the large basin of warm water she had beside her, she swirled it around to rinse it out. "I believe that every day is different, and people are likely to change their minds," she explained, wringing out the piece of worn fabric.

"Sometimes they don't," Morgana pointed out, and her handmaiden nodded as she scrubbed.

"Sometimes. But sometimes, circumstances change our minds for us," she answered, finishing and inspecting her job, tilting her head enough to change how she saw the light reflected on the table. Pleased with the job she had done, she tossed the rag back into the now murky water and picked up the container. "But I do believe minds can change. Look, it's already noon and you haven't ordered me to leave yet," the handmaiden pointed out as she left the room to empty the water.

Morgana thought about this and shifted back on her bed. Perhaps minds did change sometimes, about some things.

But some things couldn't change with a friendly smile or a kind word. Some things would still be the same, day after day.

* * *

Gaius watched the dark haired boy sitting at the table. He had been glad to see that Merlin had recovered so well from Gwen's death, and he had been proud of him for bringing Arthur back around. Like any physical wound, the old physician knew that emotional ones needed aid and time to recover from as well. Within the past weeks, Merlin had bounced back to his old self.

Almost.

"I spoke with a young woman from the castle recently," Gaius mentioned offhandedly, seeing what kind of a reaction he would get.

Stirring around the contents of bowl in front of him, Merlin seemed uninterested in both though he made an effort to pretend otherwise. "Really."

"Yes, she was recently employed and is finding life here much different from what she knew. She came from a smaller village, like you," Gaius continued, keeping a watch on Merlin's expression while acting as though he were mixing up a medicine. He didn't have to worry; Merlin's eyes never left his breakfast.

"It is different," Merlin agreed half heartedly. It were as though he were there, but his mind was in a completely different land.

"She said that not many have taken well to her being there, particularly a certain dark haired servant that tends to the prince. Apparently, he outright avoids her. That couldn't be you, could it?" They both knew very well it was. Arthur only had one personal servant.

"No. Must be another," Merlin replied tonelessly and Gaius rolled his eyes. Sometimes he saw a near grown young man in Merlin, other times a very childish boy.

He pulled out a chair and sat directly across from the boy. "Merlin," Merlin raised his eyes, "what is going on? It's not like you to ignore anyone, especially a servant girl who's done you no harm."

The young warlock wished that Gaius would leave him be. He tried to recall a spell off the top of his head that would make the physician mute, or better yet, disappear for a while.

Nothing.

Magic failed him again.

"I don't know," he mumbled, continuing to mix around the contents of the bowl semi consciously. How could he explain this? It was a feeling he had, something that didn't make sense whenever he tried to put it into words. "She's not Gwen," he finally blurted out, dropping the spoon into the bowl and looking away.

"No, she's not," Gaius agreed with a nod, "she's someone entirely new."

Merlin lowered his eyes. He had hoped that Gaius would understand, but now he saw that he had hoped for too much.

"Don't you think it's a bit juvenile to hate someone just because of the job they recieved?" Gaius asked, and Merlin tried with all his might to make the old physician poof away to somewhere else. Anywhere else.

Nothing.

Stupid magic.

"I guess," he answered with a shrug.

"You guess?"

"All right maybe it is," Merlin snapped, looking up once more. "But I can't help it! She's doing Gwen's job, living Gwen's life!"

Gaius shook his head. "No, she's not living Gwen's life. She's living her life. She has different parents, came from a different place, and even looks nothing like Gwen." Merlin didn't want to hear this. He didn't want to humanize her. He wanted her to stay as the enemy. Things were simpler that way. "Perhaps you should talk to her. It may help."

Merlin could list off a thousand things he'd rather do instead that "may" help.

Like making Gaius disappear. Focus, he had to focus.

Nothing.

Damn good for nothing magic.

* * *

"You look happy," Arthur commented as Morgana practically pranced by him. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing," she smiled and shrugged. She did feel happy. Something this morning had just felt different. It had started from the moment she opened her eyes. "I just have a feeling that today's going to be a good day."

He seemed surprised, but nodded just the same. "That... that's good," he returned her smile. "You look pretty when you smile. You should do it more often."

She couldn't tell if he was being serious or not, but she didn't ask. He was already continuing down the hall to wherever his father had placed him for the day.

Morgana continued on her way, not knowing where she was going exactly, but she didn't care. Maybe some changes weren't so bad after all.

* * *

Merlin fidgeted with his hands as he tried to think of something to say. Just what did you say to the person you tried constantly to avoid and would still be if not forced to come and talk to them? _Hi, just here to say sorry, even though I'm not really. My mentor's just forcing me to do this so maybe I'll get over the death of a friend. The friend you replaced, by the way. Have a nice day. _Yes, because that would go over oh so well.

Perhaps saying something like that wouldn't be the best thing, but watching where he was going might have been. Certainly crashing into the green eyed person in question and making her dump the water she had been carrying all over the two of them wasn't the best thing.

The two of them stood there for a moment, taking in what had just happened. The girl crossed her drenched arms.

"You have a bad habit of running into me," she told him crossly. Merlin bent down to pick up the container.

"Yeah, sorry," he apologized, handing the bowl back to her. That was one apology that he truly meant. Maybe the only apology she'd get out of him that he meant, but he meant it just the same.

She raised an eyebrow, cautiously taking the bowl back. "Aren't you supposed to be running away by now? That's usually how it goes with you."

He'd like to be. "Why?"

"You tell me," she turned the bowl vertical and held it against her chest. She was wet enough anyways, the remainder of what was in the bowl couldn't make a difference now. He was quiet. "I'm sorry your friend died, and if I had had it my way, I wouldn't have been the one who took over her job. The thing is, I'm just a girl who was hired to do a job. I'm not trying to replace her, and I never could replace her."

Merlin blinked. He hadn't expected that.

She continued. "I understand that you're upset, but I wish you'd stop taking it out on me. You were the one person in this place that was nice to me when I first started," she muttered, looking down.

"I... was?" Merlin asked. Somehow, he had pictured this conversation being a lot different.

"You smiled at me. A smile can make all the difference," she nodded, her hair slipping from behind her ear and dropping down to in front of her crooked nose. "You never even asked my name."

Now that was unlike him, and he felt a bit foolish, not just because of his dripping clothes. "I'm Merlin." He held out his hand.

She smiled and took it. "I know. I'm Adelaide."

* * *

A/N: And it is FINISHED! :D This story's really just preparing everyone for the next story. War, death, epic battles which I probably will fail at writing, banquets, and possibly a proposal/marriage... I have plans. Big plans. At this point I'm calling it Descent Into Darkness, but that could change. It'll be my next Merlin fanfic anyways. ;D Hope you enjoyed! Read and Review? :D Comments help me improve.


End file.
